Oil Change after 3 months?

[vj123]

isn't there the argument though that these particles can help hone the working parts on a new engine? Surely the engineers who have cut apart engines after extensively testing decided that on many cars better to leave the oil in for xx miles.. whereas others say drain after 1,500. Or maybe they just think, we don't care enough maybe it'll slightly reduce your engine life, but it'll get us a thumbs up from the EPA !

I have not come across that theory. It would be interesting to have a look at any such test data.

 

[AmericanEnthusiast]

Change the oil at every gas fill up.

You can never be safe enough.

Lol

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[adam1991]

Oh god, now you will be asked to change engine oil with every gas fill ups.

You can never be too careful.

 

[RennWerks]

. . .isn't there the argument though that these particles can help hone the working parts on a new engine? . . .

Yes.

I have not come across that theory. It would be interesting to have a look at any such test data.

I'm not aware of any published data either, but the Honda Motor Co. has made that argument (among others) on its "official" website (owners.honda.com) in an effort to dissuade new Honda owners from changing the factory fill before Honda's Mileage Minder system indicates it's necessary.

 

[The Fed]

My oil change reminder just popped up and says i have 25 days.. bought the car last May and have 4400mi so its pretty good at counting down the days for me

Sounds like the dealer may have reset your service interval counter when they prepped your car. Mine alerted prematurely, it was set for one year from when the car was built.

 

[The Fed]

I've never heard of the minute particles of contaminants working as an abrasive to hone in...what, piston rings and cylinders, since you really don't want grit in any bi-metal bearings? Modern oil filters are capable of filtering out particles as small 3 microns. Does always filtering out particles as small as 3 microns make a difference? I don't know. And doesn't every oil filter bypass the filter if it gets clogged? How would you even know if the filter gets clogged?

 

[Cowzill00]

I worked with an Engineer once who never changed his oil - on purpose. He drove one of those Mazda/Ranger pickups and had about about 80k on it with the original oil.

I don’t why he did it, but it blew my mind.

Sort of on topic, these questions make me wonder...what about the filter? How long do contaminants circulate before getting filtered out...as in how long does it take for ALL the oil to pass through the filter, one sip at a time? Is a magnetic drain plug worth it or a gimmick?

But then these thoughts pass and I go for a drive.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

Edit: When I reset BMW service indicators they show 15500 miles till next service, and no time interval. Obviously just because a manufacturer says you can, doesn't mean you should. They want to sell you as many new cars as possible over your life time, so their only goal is to make the car last long enough for you to consider buying a new car over costly repairs.

From years of working at a BMW dealer, I can say with certainty that while your theory is broadly accurate, none of the components whose lifespan is determined by the oil quality will be a factor in that decision. It's going to be all the other stuff that failed over time. I didn't believe in those service intervals at first either. but I also never saw cars coming in with catastrophic engine failure that resulted from old oil. Ultimately, you have to realize that the people who are hired by these companies for R&D work collectively know a lot more about cars than most of us ever could.

Oh and that 15500 is just the static reset number. I was told that the actual service interval is based on how the car is driven using a complex formula or whatever, but I suspect it was actually just as simple as the the car knowing how much fuel it had consumed and going off of that. Some cars would come in with intervals as low as 13,000, while others would be due at 17-18k. No time interval specified in the maintenance computer, but BMW recommended annual oil services if the indicator didn't come on in 12 months.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

From years of working at a BMW dealer, I can say with certainty that while your theory is broadly accurate, none of the components whose lifespan is determined by the oil quality will be a factor in that decision. It's going to be all the other stuff that failed over time. I didn't believe in those service intervals at first either. but I also never saw cars coming in with catastrophic engine failure that resulted from old oil. Ultimately, you have to realize that the people who are hired by these companies for R&D work collectively know a lot more about cars than most of us ever could.

Oh and that 15500 is just the static reset number. I was told that the actual service interval is based on how the car is driven using a complex formula or whatever, but I suspect it was actually just as simple as the the car knowing how much fuel it had consumed and going off of that. Some cars would come in with intervals as low as 13,000, while others would be due at 17-18k. No time interval specified in the maintenance computer, but BMW recommended annual oil services if the indicator didn't come on in 12 months.

Right, I didn't get into the nitty gritty of how or why BMW does what it does. I can tell you for a fact that I have seen and performed multiple major repairs to BMW, MBZ, VW and Audi, due to lack of oil changes and oil starvation. I guess being at a dealership since you mainly work (or see, if you weren't a tech) on cars that are still under warranty (except for the few who are dealership customers for life) and being at an indie, where you see cars that no longer have warranty is the difference. The cars I fix with oil caused issues normally have 100-300k on them.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

Right, I didn't get into the nitty gritty of how or why BMW does what it does. I can tell you for a fact that I have seen and performed multiple major repairs to BMW, MBZ, VW and Audi, due to lack of oil changes and oil starvation. I guess being at a dealership since you mainly work (or see, if you weren't a tech) on cars that are still under warranty (except for the few who are dealership customers for life) and being at an indie, where you see cars that no longer have warranty is the difference. The cars I fix with oil caused issues normally have 100-300k on them.

That's basically it. I once actually saw an engine failure on Nissan KA24DE, aka "the pickup truck engine they put in the 1994-2000 Altima." After many years of hard miles and indifferent servicing, it finally said "no mas" and threw a rod through the side of the engine block. Said engine was just shy of 300K. Meanwhile, we had an older Nissan pickup, same engine, come in with over 300K for its 1st clutch replacement. I was half tempted to call up Nissan and ask if they wanted us to send them the old one, so they could study it.

 

[Wrath And Tears]

Yeah I don't get how older asian vehicles last so long, without breaking, while being abused with minimal servicing. Newer ones not so much, but at least they don't break if you look at them funny (Ferrari, Porsche) .

 

[SugarMouth]

When you change oil depends on what you do with your car. If you simply commute to work and run to the gym, then 8k-10k is cool. If you commute to work but hit the road course on the weekends then 8k-10k is not cool.

I have yet to see an oil analysis that was acceptable at 10k so I do 8k at most. If I see the track then I'll cut that in half.

 

[dequardo]

Yep. I use a factor of 250 miles per track lap. Road America. 4.048 miles.

 

[Shane_Anigans]

Yeah I don't get how older asian vehicles last so long, without breaking, while being abused with minimal servicing. Newer ones not so much, but at least they don't break if you look at them funny (Ferrari, Porsche) .

Once upon a time, The Japanese Big 3 designed their vehicles (most of them anyway) to be durable and reliable above all else. If you can keep the rust at bay, Toyotas and Hondas from the early 1990s tend to last for insane periods of time. Even some of the newer ones are that solid; I sold my 2002 RSX Type-S (which had not had the easiest life) at 175K, but only because the clutch was starting to slip, the windshield crack was getting longer, and underside was starting to rot after 13 years of life in Cleveland and MI. Otherwise, it still ran strong and pulled hard to the redline whenever I pushed it. If not for the rust, I would have seriously considered doing the repairs and keeping it longer.

 

[adam1991]

Once upon a time, The Japanese Big 3 designed their vehicles (most of them anyway) to be durable and reliable above all else. If you can keep the rust at bay, Toyotas and Hondas from the early 1990s tend to last for insane periods of time.

Part of that was design choices that such buyers tended to accept. Hondas required regular valve adjustments and timing belt changes, for example. But over time, the buyer demanded to be relieved of such costs of ownership--and Honda responded, but without telling the buyer that he's making tradeoffs.

Honda also used to not put ANY effort into their interiors. Vinyl seats and radios that couldn't be heard over the engine, if the car had a radio at all--that was a Honda hallmark. But again, buyers demanded more and Honda responded--but had to keep their profits up. So the cars got even cheaper in places the buyer couldn't see.

Of course, Honda could well afford to do all that, as most buyers do 3 year leases and look only at surface bells and whistles. Honda now builds cars to last the lease--they have been for 20 years now. The post-lease life is the next buyer's problem.

And yet, Honda continues to sell based on their reputation for longevity from 30-40 years ago. Again, it's the leasing thing. Relatively few people experience the 4, 5, or 10 year old Honda and the failing transmission, the V6 engine that's destroyed itself due to VCM, etc, etc.